Big Idea:
Retelling stories using interrogatives demonstrates the child's comprehension of a story.

Kindergarten students will begin to know that questions begin with the 5 W and 1 H words (who, what, when, where, why, and how. (Today we are only focusing on the 5W.) They demonstrate this knowledge during class discussions, while reading big books, when working in small groups, when participating in discussions following read alouds, and so forth. Kindergarten students begin to recognize these words in print and come to understand that questions in print end with a question mark.

Come join me on the rug for our class story time so I can share our latest "gingerbread" story, Bad Boys Get Cookie. Take a look at the cover of the book. Notice the wolves' outfits? Do you think they are Investigating something? Using the cover for clues, see if you can figure out: 1. Who do you think this story is about? 2. What do you think will happen in this story? 3. When does this story take place? 4. Where is the setting (where does it take place)? 5. Why are the wolves chasing the cookie? Now let's listen to enjoy the story and see if we can answer any of those questions.

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I begin to read the story to the class, but when we get to the section where the wolves dress like detectives, I make sure to point that out. If time allows, I like to reread the story to the children. The first time, I just like the children to enjoy the story, but the second time through, I like to have them act like detectives to look for clues.

On a piece of chart paper, I have copied the questions as listed on the 5W's worksheet.

When we read stories, we are also like detectives and we can use the five w's to help us gather evidence from the story. We can pull details from a story and this can help us get a better understanding of what the author is trying to say. Earlier, I asked some questions. Let's look at those questions again and I will write down the your answers.

1. Who do you think this story is about?

2. What do you think will happen in this story?

3. When does this story take place?

4. Where is the setting (where does it take place)?

5. Why are the wolves chasing the cookie?

Once you have answered, can you tell me where in the story would I find the answer that you have given to me? When you can do this, you are being like the detectives and giving me evidence.

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As a reward for being good detectives, I will pay each of you with a gingerbread cookie. When everyone has been served, may take only one bite, and then you must put it down on your napkin.

Next, I will give each of you a gingerbread man paper cut-out. Write your name on the back. Your job, before you can eat the rest of your cookie, is to tear away from the paper gingerbread man the same section that you ate from your real cookie. Was it the head, right arm, left arm, right leg or left leg?

On the front board, I have hung up a "Take a Bite" Graph that indicates those same attributes. Bring your cut-out to the graph and hang it up in the proper location, so that it matches the picture on the graph. Once you have hung up your gingerbread man, I will give you a Five w's of Gingerbread Graphing worksheet. Use the graph to answer the questions on the paper by drawing your responses. I can assess the children's understanding of the activity and the graph by the way they respond on their paper.

Big Idea:
Sentence frames provide ELLs language support and a framework to explain their thinking. They are used in this lesson to help students write a brief opinion paper in response to a story read aloud.